I remember my first LG phone. It was the LG VX7000 and I bought it because it was innovative, giving me a camera that I could turn from pointing away from me to pointing at me and many angles in between. These days, it looks like LG is innovating again. This time, they’ve launched the LG Optimus One, a fast smartphone running Android at an entry level price. It’s pretty decent looking, too.

Looks and price aren’t everything, and that’s true with this phone, too. More than just a pretty face and even better looking price tag, it still offers some great smartphone features.

Optimus One Specs

While most people may only care about the camera (a decent but not record-breaking 3.1 MP) and the battery life (LG proudly boasts about the 1500mAh capacity battery), there’s a few other important technical specifications you should know about:

The Android 2.2 OS and 600MHz processor are a big part of why this is not a standard entry level phone. It’s fast and friendly, offering two to three times faster web browsing and smoother scrolling. The camera is important, too, though. Some of the Google features mentioned below make great use of the camera, not to mention it’s face tracking and smile shot capabilities.

Optimus One Google Features

Google makes some really cool tools and web applications, but more and more, they are flexing their mobile muscles as well. The pairing of a lot of cool Google integration and the LG Optimus One looks fantastic.

After watching the video above, I really wanted to start downloading some of this for my own phone, but it’s not available for me. It’s not a stand-alone reason to run out and buy the Optimus One, but it’s definitely a factor.

How Smart Is It?

A smartphone isn’t just smart because it has a faster processor or large screen. It’s all the things a handset can do that make it a smartphone. As mentioned above, this phone is optimized for Google Mobile Services including Google Voice SearchTM, Google Voice ActionsTM, Google GogglesTM, Google ShopperTM and Google MapsTM with Navigation. You can also sync with your Outlook Calendar, which is a must for me. Perhaps one of the coolest features is the Wi-Fi hotspots, which allow you to share your 3G connection with other devices that can connect via Wi-Fi. This would be particularly useful, for example, if you need to get some work done on your laptop but there was no Wi-Fi in sight.

The user experience plays its part, too. What good is functionality if it’s hard to use or you have to navigate for five minutes to find something? LG loaded the Optimus One up with some apps and widgets geared towards ease of use. Even a techie like me can spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get around Android if they’ve never used it before. A lot of useful features are found pretty quickly right on the Optimus One’s home screens. Additionally, this phone includes the exclusive LG App Advisor, which recommends 10 highly rated applications every two weeks to help you find the gems in the 80,000+ App Android Market.

Final Thoughts

Although I didn’t have the pleasure of personally test driving the Optimus One myself, what I’ve seen in the video reviews, spec list, photos and pricing point to a good purchase. In one of LG’s promotional videos, they mention that they hope to lead the path when it comes to putting smartphones in the hands of average consumers. The Optimus One’s price tag really drives that point home. The LG Optimus One will be available in over 90 countries via 120 partners and is available in the U.S. now from Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as the Optimus S, Optimus T and Vortex, respectively. Sprint and T-Mobile’s web sites both have it for free with a 2 year contract while Verizon’s site has it for $79.99 with a two year contract. Even at Verizon’s price, it’s far cheaper than most smartphones without lacking all the goodies. The only negative thing I’ve seen so far is some reports of the battery life not living up to the expectations. Still, if I didn’t have a phone (and a contract) already, this would be a top contender for my Christmas list.

About the author

Joe Colburn is a software engineer specializing in PHP and a technology enthusiast. Always eager to dive into new and exciting things, Joe writes about anything technology related news and products that he thinks you will also be excited about. Find Joe Colburn on Google+ or by any of the links below.

3 Responses to 'LG Otimus One Is Big On Features, Small On Price'

The only thing I would be worried about with a 2 year contract is the fact that the smartphone industry is evolving so fast… one year down the line everything might look completely different… I am one of those folks that have yet to get a smartphone… one of the reasons being price…. and the other is that fear of the industry constantly getting better and getting locked into a deal I might regret.

used tires: The contracts aren’t a big problem for me. When I was with Verizon, I was committed to be there until I made the jump to AT&T for the iPhone. With the variety of smartphones out there now, I’m sure my ideal carrier will have a phone I want when it’s time to upgrade.